Chicken Gumbo

Joe bought a new soup and sandwich cookbook for me a couple of weeks ago. It’s a special publication by Cuisine at Home with beautiful pictures and ideas about ‘adding on’ a side dish to each soup or sandwich. He pointed out some of his favorites and then told me that he’s a simple man – he really just loves soup. My husband has a way of getting me to cook whatever he wants, so don’t be suprised if you see soups here more often – especially during the cooler months.

I’ve been gluten-free and sugar-free for six years in order to maintain my weight-loss. There are a whole lot of foods I haven’t eaten. Gumbo is one of them. I get a little obsessive when this happens because I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like. I read about, I call people who’ve eaten it, I compare recipes, and try to find someone who’s eaten it to give me a taste comparison. Luckily, Joe’s had gumbo before and his verdict is that my gumbo is just as good as any he’s had. If you’ve had gumbo, give me your feedback too.

I used turkey kielbasa to make this a little healthier, too. Make sure to read the package carefully – many sausages contain sugar. I found this kielbasa at Whole Foods – made by Wellshire – and it’s all natural, free of preservatives, and free of antibiotics. Most importantly, it tastes great.

A little about roux…

I made lots of roux before going gluten-free so this I know about. Gumbo can be thickened with many things – this is thickened with roux, or an equal mixture of butter or oil and flour used to thicken sauces. You have to cook the roux long enough to get rid of the flour taste, keeping in mind that you either want the roux to be light or dark. A light roux is used for white sauces and soups where a dark roux is used for darker dishes. For this soup, you want a darker roux.

A regular gluten roux comes together and forms a ball when you’re cooking it. Not so with gluten-free rouxs. It cooks and thickens but doesn’t stick together. The first time I did it, I worried a little that it wouldn’t work but it works just fine. I got a little obsessive about this, too, and found a video by our beloved Gluten-Free Girl and Chef which will show you what it should look like. If you’re worried, watch the video.

This soup eats like a meal – I served it with mustard green from my CSA (The okra came from there, too. Veggies are so much better farm-fresh!) and skillet cornbread. Gumbo is usually served with sourdough or french bread and sometimes rice but I needed a good gluten-free shortcut. Cornbread was good enough for us.

Give me your feedback, please!

Two items – if you haven’t taken the poll in the brown sidebar, please do! I want to know what recipes you want to see here. Also, I started linking to the tools I use in the kitchen because I get so many e-mail inquiries. I thought it would be easier to just show you. Of course, if you buy it Amazon gives me a little money too. Something big like four percent. Maybe someday I’ll be able to cover my hosting costs.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 6 quart enamaled cast-iron dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for several minutes. Once chicken has cooked about half-way, add kielbasa and continue cooking until browned, about 5 – 8 minutes total. Remove meat with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside.

Next, make the roux. Put remaining ½ cup olive oil in the same pot and heat. Test it by dropping a pinch of flour in – you want it to sizzle. Then, add sweet rice and sorghum and cook, stirring constantly, for about five minutes. You want the roux to be roughly the color of peanut butter. Add onion, celery, green bell pepper, garlic, cayenne pepper, and white pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until veggies are soft, about 5 minutes. Everything is going to stick together and look like it’s gone south. Don’t worry. Just keep stirring. And, don’t worry about the brown stuff on the bottom of the pan.

Make a bouquet garni by tying together the parsley and thyme with kitchen twine. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouquet garni, and bay leaf. Stir well, cover, and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes.

Add okra, reserved meats, and simmer for another 5-8 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. Add more cayenne pepper if desired.

Comments

I've never had gumbo, but this sounds really yummy. In terms of the future of this, I say go with your gut. If you're eating a lot of soups, show us that. The best recipes are always those made with love.

Let me know if you do - and how it turns out. I am sure the chicken thighs would be great because they're so moist. You could always use a slurry (arrowroot or cornstarch and water) to thicken it. I'd add the slurry at the end, turn it on high, take the lid off, and let it simmer to cook the slurry flavor out for 15 minutes or so.

I love your tutorial on roux! Thanks. I never learned to make roux before going gluten free so I had no idea it is different.
I did not vote though I do like soups. What I most look for when I'm "surfing" recipes is EASY and I like make ahead meals too.

I agree with everyone else ... your directions are very helpful. I've made a roux before and after going gluten free. Your description is so accurate. You think oh, no, this can't be right, but then it works out fine. ;-) The gumbo looks great! Cajun music is playing in my head. :-)
Shirley

I'm going to have to check out that roux video. My husband makes this AMAZING turkey gumbo (Emeril recipe) every year around Thanksgiving, and we've tried to sub tapioca starch before, making it gluten-free, but it just doesn't taste the same. But I've only recently discovered the wonders of sorghum flour, so I'll definitely have to try this blend of sorghum and rice flours! If you say it changes color (to peanut butter) similarly to a "real" roux, then I'm sold. When you adapted this recipe, did you sub the amounts of flour equally, or did you change the ratio of flours to oil? (since different flours have different thickening properties) Thanks! And this gumbo looks DELICIOUS.

I measure 'scantly' when it comes to oil and I'm cooking (not baking), so I'm sure it was slightly less than 1/2 cup. I think it's left over from my overweight days. I've done roux with my basic gf blend and it worked great. Then, GF Girl used sorghum and sweet rice so I did too, and it worked really well too. It's a totally different monster than gluten roux. I would love to know your experience with this as you have some real gumbo experience. Let me know how it works out. I would love to learn more about making the very best GF roux.

After making this recipe, I do have to say it was really, really tasty! I think next time I do need to more "scantily" measure the oil, as you said. I used brown rice flour instead of sweet rice (it's what I had), and I think that if we even let the roux deepen in color (almost to chocolate) it would have added even more flavor. I omitted the okra because hubby doesn't like okra (but I would have loved it in there). But overall, a WONDERFUL gumbo that takes a lot less time than most! My husband had two HUGE bowlfuls (we ate it with steamed rice), and the next day I had some for lunch. Yum, definitely will make again!

I agree that the oil can be too much. I am going to add that in the recipe notes. Sweet rice flour will thicken much better than brown rice flour will, which could have been part of the issue too. I like the idea about letting the roux get even darker. So glad that you liked it - Joe had seconds and I froze the extra so he can take it for lunch. I know traditionally it is served with white rice but I don't eat it. :) Also, I used turkey kielbasa which is much lower in fat but if I didn't care about the fat I'd use the regular kielbasa.
I always appreciate you sharing your results here. Big hugs!

Thank you for the information about the roux. I will be making a light roux today because I am attempting GF/DF Adfredo sauce using Mimic Creme. (I will add a little Parmesan so not totally DF) I did vote but really, I love whatever you make.

I can never get enough soup so bring it on!
Roux has always scared me - one of those challenges of cooking I just never felt up to. Funny, I just tried turkey kielbasa for the first time. It was alright. I think I prefer the texture of sausage more.
Thanks for all the great recipes, as always! maybe I'll get some cooking done this weekend!

The greasy sausage upsets my stomach. Joe loves it, though, so I cook it for him. Roux can be scary but once you try it it's like anything else. Just some butter and flour and, if you're like me, you just pitch it when you burn it and start over.

Amy,
I'm really excited that you've gotten the chance to try gumbo! I was born in New Orleans so I pretty much grew up on the stuff and I've gotta say, it's never gotten old. I'd used to stick to nothing but a traditional very simple gumbo, but as we moved around southern LA my mom picked up a bunch of recipes and ideas. None of them are gluten or sugar free but the point being, there are so many ways to make a gumbo your own. I hope you'll get the chance to thoroughly explore gumbo. Thanks for sharing! =D

About Amy

Living free of refined sugars and gluten since 2004 has allowed me to live a fulfilled, healthy life. My food cravings, migraines, and depression vanished and was able to maintain a 60+ pound weight loss. Today I live with enormous freedom. Join me as I create healthier food that's delicious. I'll help you do the same.